"Children learning—that's the goal," says One Laptop Per Child founder, Nicholas Negroponte. "For every single child in the world to have the opportunity to learn."This month we salute MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte for spearheading the development of the amazing XO laptop, a computer specifically designed for the children of third-world countries, and for founding the organization that's putting the XO into the hands of children around the world.
Until now Negroponte has been best known for founding and directing the MIT Media Lab, which has been a driving force in the multimedia revolution. In founding One Laptop Per Child, he teamed with educators, developers, and technologists dedicated to educating children in developing countries.
"Children are very good at learning and teaching," Negroponte told Riz Khan of Al Jazeera (October 4, 2007). "When people ask me how are we going to teach the teachers to teach the children how to use a laptop, I wonder what planet they're on, because every adult that I know, if they want help using their laptop or a cell phone they ask a child. Children are almost genetically capable of doing this. So the point now is to take that skill and let them learn and play with information and work in school and out of school."
Listen to the full (17-minute) Al Jazeera interview:
The XO isn't available for retail sale, but for this month, from November 12 to 26 only, you can Give 1 and Get 1. By donating $400 dollars, you'll receive and XO (delivered to you in time for Christmas) and another XO will be delivered to a child somewhere in the world who will really appreciate it.
Nicholas Negroponte and the One Laptop Per Child project are another vivid example of what can happen when generous individuals get together and use their passion, knowledge, and creativity for the larger good. Imagine the possibilities.
